| Carcinosomatidae Temporal range: Ordovician–Devonian |
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|---|---|
| Scientific classification | |
| Kingdom: | Animalia |
| Phylum: | Arthropoda |
| Class: | Merostomata |
| Order: | †Eurypterida |
| Suborder: | †Eurypterina |
| Superfamily: | †Mixopteroidea |
| Family: | †Carcinosomatidae Størmer, 1934 |
| Genera | |
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See text |
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Carcinosomatidae is a family of extinct arthropods in the class Eurypterida. Up to 30 centimetres (12 in) long, these eurypterids are found from the Ordovician to the Devonian periods.
Carcinosomatids were characterized by small to large exoskeletons with scattered minute tubercules or raised tongue-shaped scales. The prosoma (head) was subtriangular, with small compound eyes at the front. The chelicerae (claws in front of the mouth) were small. The walking legs were covered with long spines, and the second pair of walking legs was the longest. The preabdomen, the front portion of the body, was broad and ovate, while the postabdomen was cylindrical and narrow. The telson was a curved spine.[1] The family contains four genera with at most 14 species:[2]